Newsletter from my Congressman via e-mail:
When I asked you for the honor to serve as your Congressman, I vowed to fight for American jobs, American businesses and American working families. This fight is difficult, important and ongoing.



The bureaucracy in Washington is legendary and formidable. It is deeply entrenched in the halls of power throughout the federal government. The truth is, there is very little will power to stand up for American workers; and there is a great deal of bureaucratic resistance to any change, especially change that might ruffle the feathers of foreign trading partners and international corporations.



My top priority in Congress is representing the best interests of the people who live and work in the Eighth District. During my time in Washington, people have said many times "you can't fight the bureaucracy," but I do not believe this is true.



In working to put the Kissell Amendment into effect after it passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we ran into strong opposition at almost every level of government. Due to long-existing and unfair foreign trade deals, the uniforms worn by Transportation Security Administration workers can be manufactured overseas. Loopholes in those agreements are now being used as an excuse to continue to let this happen despite the clear "Buy American" intent of my Amendment. Some people in Washington think it makes sense for Stimulus Package money to be spent in Mexico. I think they are dead wrong and I set them straight in no uncertain terms.



In response to my strong defense of American jobs and industry, the bureaucrats and lawyers at TSA said that new trade deals must be struck with Mexico, Canada and Chile before the Kissell Amendment can be fully enforced. They then planned to proceed with issuing five-year contracts to foreign companies, closing American businesses out of millions and millions of dollars of business in each of those years. If it was the hope of TSA officials that their resistance to helping rebuild the American manufacturing base would discourage me, they were sorely mistaken.



Just prior to the July 1 deadline, we worked with the United States Trade Representative to get some assurances for textile workers. Homeland Security has agreed to set aside 50 percent of the contracts it is negotiating this year to U.S.-based small businesses and to rewrite their contract from five years to one year, allowing time to renegotiate trade deals with these countries.



To let the folks over at TSA (and the entire Department of Homeland Security, for that matter) know just how serious I am that they spend federal dollars on American-made goods, I introduced House Resolution 3116, known as the Berry Amendment Extension Act. If passed, the measure will require the Department of Homeland Security to purchase many items directly related to national security that are grown, reprocessed, reused or produced in the United States. If we are truly determined to turn our economy around, we need to focus on securing and creating domestic manufacturing jobs.



Our competitors in the world marketplace such as China already place restrictions on their government agencies which exclude American companies and American workers from even the chance to compete for foreign business. It is only common sense that we do the same among those who handle our national security. We must put Americans back to work, and we must protect our strategic national security. This bill does both.



This is a serious matter of national security. Our nation should not depend on the reliability of foreign vendors or the stability of foreign governments for access to the materials and goods used by the Department of Homeland Security. Home grown, home manufactured and home crafted are at the very root of Homeland Security. In an ever-changing and volatile world, we need not turn over the production of key security materials to outsiders. American dollars should be spent at home to provide a higher level of security, and enhance our domestic economy.



Bureaucratic opposition will not deter me from representing the best interests of the Eighth District. I will continue to fight for what is right and fair for our citizens. In an attempt to make light of these efforts to defend the American manufacturing base, some people call me a "Protectionist," as if that word were a slur or insult. It makes me proud to be accused of promoting and protecting American businesses and American workers. They can call me names all they want to, I will not be deterred from my mission to bolster our nation's economy during these trying times.



The Berry Act has served our nation well for more than 60 years. The brave men and women who defend and protect our national security deserve to wear uniforms made by proud American workers. Those wearing these uniforms and those who make them should share some common goals and values, among them being American security and American prosperity. The only way to ensure such is the case is to make these items right here at home.


Sincerely,

Larry Kissell
Member of Congress